Broken diamond
by Miss PurplePebble
Summary: Set directly after the first film. Everlyn suffered worse than anyone had guessed at imohteps hands, can she bring her self to tell rick the truth, and if she does how will he react? COMPLETE
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Let me look... nope they still don't belong to me. I'm thinking of trading in my fairy godmother (she obviously isn't working).

Summary: Set directly after the first film with flashbacks to scenes not seen. Evelyn suffered worse than anyone had ever guessed at Imohtep's hands. Can she bring herself to tell Rick the truth, and if she does how will he react?

Rated R, more for subject than actual content,

This is one of my favourite pieces I have ever written; yeah it's kinda long, but trust me it's worth it. (Not that I'm biased or anything, lol.) If you read it please review. I love to know what you think, because I'm a feedback junkie!! (Can't get enough) but most importantly of all enjoy!!

_This has now been completely re-edited, by my wonderful new beta reader. It's so much better to read now. All my thanks Nakhti. Xxx

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**Broken diamond

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Evelyn smiled as she felt Rick's strong arms around her, his embrace holding her safely in his lap as their camel plodded across the hot desert sand. She had never felt so happy in her life; a few hours ago the man who now held her heart had rescued her, with the help of her beloved brother, from the clutches of the re-animated mummy of the high priest Imhotep. In doing so they had quite possibly saved the world, and coincidently found themselves in possession of a couple of bags of ancient gold. They were now heading back to civilisation to begin a life Evelyn had never dared dream would be hers.

"Everything is good," she whispered to her self, and it was. If you didn't count the intense pain that was washing through her body, and Evelyn didn't. She refused to acknowledge her injuries, especially the ones Rick and Jonathan were unaware of- even to the point that when Rick suggested stopping for a rest, she had encouraged him to continue. Only after the group had stopped for the night and Evelyn had finally fallen asleep in the arms of her beloved did her body allow itself to recognise the pain it was in. An experience which caused her to wake screaming.

Rick, who had fallen asleep, woke instantly and drew his guns instinctively at the sound of Evie's distress. Seeing no enemies except Evelyn's tears, he holstered his weapons quickly.

"Are you ok?" he asked as Jonathan, who had been asleep some meters away, reached his side.

Evie just nodded numbly, unable to speak as the men watched her, their concern etched deeply on their faces. As Evelyn had slept it hadn't only been her body that was re-living the horror of the previous day, but her mind too. It had been replaying the events through her dream. She could remember, and feel Imhotep's large hands pressed heavily into her shoulders.

As Evelyn looked up she realised her nod had failed to satisfy her male companions

"I'm ok," she mumbled eventually. "It... it was just a bad dream."

Rick just stared at Evelyn. He was unconvinced by her statement but at a loss as to what to do about it.

"Evie?" Jonathan asked, as unconvinced as O'Connell was about his sister.

"I'm ok," Evie replied again, but this time more strongly. "Really Jonathan, I'm fine. Just go back to bed."

Jonathan smiled; he knew when not to argue with his baby sister. Standing up he crossed to her. "Ok," he said, and planted a light kiss on her forehead before returning to his bunk.

"Evie..." Rick began once they were alone.

"Please Rick," she interrupted him, "I'm tired, can we just go back to sleep?"

"Of course," Rick replied, concerned however by her cold tone

"Good," Evelyn continued, although more to herself than to Rick. "Goodnight," she said, and turned away just as Rick leant forward to kiss her. Unaware of his action she continued moving and lay down gently. She quickly feigned sleep in an effort to avoid having to talk anymore.

She needn't have worried however. Rick was so shaken by her rejection he was frozen for a while.

"Please god," he thought, "don't let her be regretting her decision to be mine."

Eventually he too lay down and faked sleep. Rick spent a large majority of the night thinking about how his life would be if Evelyn no longer wanted him; the scenario was less than favourable. Rick had known Evie less than a week but he realised he never wanted to be without her ever again. So in the early hours of the morning, just as the sun was beginning to chase the night away, Rick swore a vow to himself that he would do everything in his power to make the woman he loved happy- including making himself into a man she could love.

The next morning, after the scorching desert sun had chased the cold moon from the sky, Evelyn woke with a start. The dream she had started last night had just reached its horrifying conclusion.

Jumping from her make-shift bed she ran barefoot across the sand and round the corner of the cliff they had set their camp against.

She had paused only long enough to ascertain that Rick had already risen, her eyes having quickly picked out his silhouette moving around and dealing with the camels.

Once she was certain she was out of sight Evelyn fell to her knees and began to retch violently. Her dream had felt so real, it was as if she had experienced the last two days all over again. She could taste Imhotep's dusty lips pressing against hers, she could feel his hands roaming across her skin.

Evelyn's stomach contracted again and again as the vivid memories washed over her.

Suddenly a hand fell heavily on her shoulder and made her jump, and falling backwards on to her bottom, she cried out instinctively

"No" her voice was soft and yet full of fear.

"Evie?" It was Jonathan; unbeknown to her he had witnessed her running exit from the camp and had followed, concerned. "Evie, what's wrong?"

Evelyn blinked a few times before she realised it was her brother, standing above her and blocking out the sun. The image of Imhotep had been so strong in her mind, she was convinced he had come back for her.

"Oh Jonathan!" she cried, relieved. "You made me jump."

Jonathan didn't reply, but his eyes widened at the sight in front of him. As Evelyn had fallen awkwardly onto the sand the jacket that she had been wearing had fallen open, and was now exposing her left shoulder. Jonathan's eyes had travelled across his sister's bare skin and, in horror, found it covered in deep black and blue bruises.

"You're hurt!" he gasped and pointed at the exposed area.

Following his eyes Evelyn realised what had happened and tried to quickly pull the jacket closed over her black nightgown, accidentally exposing more of her bruises as she did so.

"No I'm not," she argued, smiling, "it's nothing."

"Evie..." Jonathan moaned, using his best big brother voice, "you're hurt. Let me see."

"No!" Evie cried and pulled away as he stepped closer.

"Well then let me at least get Rick," he continued as he turned away, shocked by her reaction.

"No!" she shouted this time and scrambled to her feet. "Don't tell him, please Jonathan." Evie grabbed her brother's arm in an effort to stop him moving. "I'm fine, really," she smiled at him wildly, and willed him to agree. "Please jo-jo," she continued to beg using her childhood name for him, "please?"

Before he had the chance to reply Jonathan and Evie both saw Rick round the cliff edge.

"Is every thing okay?" he asked as he closed in on them, wondering why they were standing so close together.

"Everything's fine." Evie lied and crossed to him. Kissing him lightly she added, "Good morning."

"I thought I heard you shout," Rick continued, still suspicious, as he took in the look on Jonathans face.

"We were just having a sibling thing," Evelyn lied again, but this time she turned to Jonathan to back her up. "Weren't we?" she asked.

"Erm, yeah," Jonathan agreed unhappily, unable to look Rick in the eye as he answered.

Rick looked from one Carnahan to the other. He didn't believe either of them, but again he was in a position of not knowing what else to do. "Okay," he conceded eventually, "shall we ride?"

The journey to fort Brydon was a long and arduous one, but as they had started early the small group quickly covered many miles of sand. Even so, it was still long after dusk before they finally arrived.

Throughout their long ride Evelyn had shown Rick as much passion as she had the day before. And yet Rick was still worried. A couple of times when he had tried to touch her she had flinched away from him. When he eventually questioned her she claimed he had just surprised her, yet again Rick wasn't convinced. He was afraid there was some deeper meaning, but having never felt feelings this strong before he didn't know how to express himself. So he kept quiet, and tried to concentrate on the ever changing sky in a way to dispel the doubts from his mind.

For Evelyn the ride had been no less worrying then it had for Rick. She had enjoyed the times when they were getting to know one another, swapping stories and facts from their lives. The problems had come with the quiet times; vivid playbacks of her ordeal had crowded her thoughts, and try as she might she could not dismiss them.

"Are you having doubts?" Rick had asked her eventually. "About us being together?"

Evelyn had shaken her head. "No, no, no," she answered quickly. "I want to be with you more than I've ever wanted anything in my life."

Rick's blue eyes had lit up; it was the answer he had been hoping for. "Evelyn," he started, "you are the most amazing woman I have ever met, and I can't believe you are mine." He hugged her tight.

As she heard Rick's words, Imhotep's voice had invaded Evelyn's mind. _You are mine, because you have been no one else's, _he had told her, _and from this moment on you can be no one else's._

Evie had buried her face in Rick's chest as he held her tight. "I am yours," she whispered through soft silent tears, at first to the adventurer, and then to her-self. "I am yours."

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	2. Home comforts

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Chapter two. - Home comforts

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The fort was still in chaos after Imhotep's attack, but Rick quickly managed to re-hire their previous rooms in the hotel, and track down the luggage they had previously left there.

Once he received his room key Jonathan quickly led the way to the rooms. Rick smiled as he followed; he couldn't help but notice the large bottle of whiskey that had found its way in to the man's hands.

"If by any chance another apocalypse happens along, feel free to deal with it without me," Jonathan called as he retired.

Evelyn smiled slightly at her brother's wit and watched him disappear through his door before she moved towards her own.

With her back against her own door Evelyn lifted her eyes to meet Rick's. His gaze was so intense that she began to feel self-conscious, and she shifted from one bare foot to the other.

"Evie," Rick began as he stepped forward, hoping now that they were alone they could talk.

Surprised by his movement Evie jumped backwards, and consequently slammed her back into the door. "Oh!" she cried, surprised.

Noticing the fear in her eyes Rick stepped back, concerned. "Its ok," he began soothingly, "we won, bad guys dead, we're safe now."

The word safe bounced around Evelyn's head. At at least one point in the last couple of days she had thought she would never be safe ever again, and now, even though she was supposed to be, she didn't quite feel it. Lowering her eyes she spoke softly.

"I...I didn't think you were coming for me," she admitted

Rick was shocked. He knew when she was talking about, but he couldn't believe it. "Not coming for you?" he asked. "You mean when he took you?"

Evelyn nodded, unable to look up.

Rick felt sick. He didn't know how she could have ever thought that. Didn't she know how he felt?

"Of course I was coming!" he said. "How could I not? I could never leave you." He stepped forward again and, taking her face in his hands, slowly tilted it back until he could see deep in to her beautiful brown eyes. "Evelyn," he continued, "I'm in love with you."

Evie's mouth fell open. Had she really heard that right?

"You...you love me?" she asked, stumbling over each word.

Struck dumb by the enormity of what he had just said Rick just nodded, and waited for her reaction.

Evie went to speak again but Imhotep's voice screamed in her head.

_He won't want you_, his voice intoned, repeating what he had told her as she had screamed for Rick in the bowels of Hamunaptra. _He wont ever forgive you_, he had continued, _because you're mine!_

Standing in front of the door Evie suddenly gripped the door handle and turned it. "I...I have to go," she mumbled, upset by the memories. "I...I have to sleep."

"Evie?" Rick asked, concerned by the look of fear he had just watched cross her face.

Turning away from him, Evie entered her room and began to close the door.

"Goodnight!" she called with forced cheerfulness.

"Evie!" Rick called again, louder this time, and he took a step forward just as the door slammed in his face. "EVIE!"

Rick stood there not knowing what to do. He had a strong urge to kick the door down, but he didn't know what purpose that would achieve. If Evelyn didn't want to talk to him she wouldn't- he had learnt that much. Eventually he just took a step away from the door, blew a kiss, whispered goodnight, and walked away.

* * *

As the door slammed behind her Evelyn fell to the floor, unable to stay on her feet any longer. Her back slid down the solid wood of the door. Leaning heavily against it, she began to listen for Rick moving outside. She couldn't hear anything at first, but she knew he was there; placing her hand flat against the door she could feel him. 

That's when she heard it; the kiss, the goodnight, and then the most frightening noise;

his footsteps getting quieter and quieter until finally they stopped, and only silence was left. It was only then, when Rick was no longer with her and she felt so alone, that she began to weep.

Slow silent tears at first, like the ones earlier in the day, but soon they began to grow into bigger and bigger sobs, her shoulders shaking painfully as she gasped for breaths and allowed her distress to grow. As it did so anger flooded her veins, and with hysteria taking over Evelyn pulled Rick's jacket from her shoulders and threw it across the room with a scream of exertion, not caring were it landed. Now she turned her attention to the black nightdress she still wore. Griping it firmly by the neckline she began to pull down, ripping the fabric away from her body until she was naked and the gown was little more than rags.

Her tears having dried up during this process she felt a lot calmer as she got to her feet and walked through the bedroom into the en-suite bathroom. Once there Evelyn began to draw a bath. As she waited she crossed back into the bedroom and stood in front of the full length mirror for some time.

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Rick stomped down the hallway. He couldn't believe what had just happened; for the first time in his life he had told a woman honestly, albeit unexpectedly, that he loved her and she had shut a door in his face 

"Damn woman!" he swore as he tried to push Evelyn into the same category as all the women from his past. Even as he tried he felt a kick of guilt in his stomach. Evie wasn't like any woman he had ever known, and he knew it. "God, I need a drink," he mumbled out loud as he began down the stairs towards the bar.

"Drink?" an old soldier who happened to be climbing the stairs replied, having mistakenly thought Rick's declaration to be aimed at him. "In that case my boy you're in for a disappointment. The bar's closed"

The man's words halted Rick's progress and he turned.

"Closed?" he asked simply.

"Yeah," the old man continued, slurring just slightly. "Some damn fools poisoned the water or something."

Rick sighed heavily. That was not what he had wanted to hear. Looking around he wondered what to do next.

"If you need a drink that bad," the solider continued, seeming in no hurry to move on, "it's gotta be one of three things, a woman, some money, or your family."

"Family," Rick repeated, his eyes lighting up as he remembered Jonathan, and more importantly, Jonathan's bottle of whiskey.

"Yeah me an all," the man replied miserably, once again mistaking Rick's mumblings as an answer. Slowly he began to continue up the stairs, and as he followed Rick could hear the solider continuing to talk to himself.

"Mind you, it's me wife's family that want money, so it can be all three..."

Rick smiled very gently to himself once he stopped outside Jonathans room.

"And I thought I had problems," he thought. "Then again..." The smile disappeared from his face as he remembered why he wanted a drink. "I do." He turned to the door and began to bang on it loudly." Jonathan!" he called. "Open up!"

When he received no reply he just began to bang and shout louder. "Jonathan!"

"Alright, alright," Jonathan's voice eventually came through the door just as it cracked open. "Jeez, I thought I said leave me outta the next apocalypse."

"Just let me in," Rick moaned.

Seeing Rick's serious face turned Jonathan the same way.

"There isn't something going on, is there?" he asked as the adventurer entered the room.

"Relax," Rick drawled as he sat at the wicker table. "I just wanted a drink."

"A drink?" Jonathan asked incredulously as he hesitantly took the seat opposite Rick.

"Yeah a drink, the thing that generally comes in glass bottles. The bar's closed and I saw the bottle you had earlier..." O'Connell allowed the sentence to finish its self.

Jonathan smiled, relaxed now, and reaching behind him he pulled a bottle and two shot glasses off the shelf and sat them on the table.

"Drink," he said, "now that I can do."

* * *

As Evelyn stood in front of the mirror she began studying her reflection. Her dark curly hair that felt knotted and filthy looked nothing more than a little tussled in the mirror. Her sore and aching face showed only smudges where her make up had run with her tears. Surprisingly to her, her lips looked no different considering how traitorous they felt.

Her eyes travelled lower across her skin. Every injury that she had refused to acknowledge earlier now stood out against her pale skin, like loyal subjects of the creature that had inflicted them. Bruises snaked across her shoulders, as scratches did across her breasts, and burns adorned her wrists and ankles; reminders of the manacles that had held her so tight. Every part of her bore some mark, and yet none of the physical pain could compare to how she felt inside. Unable to take any more, Evelyn ran into the bathroom and plunged into the scolding water of the bath she had run.

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	3. Drowning sorrows

**Chapter three. - Drowning sorrows.**

"So," Jonathan began eventually, after he and Rick had drunk their first two glasses in silence. "What's the problem?"

"The problem?" Rick played dumb.

"Yeah," Jonathan continued, the alcohol emboldening him. "The problem that means you're in here drinking with me, when I would have wagered on you being next door whispering sweet nothings to my sister tonight."

Rick choked on his third glass as Jonathan's summarisation hit home.

"Oh..." Jonathan realised as he watched Rick react. "Evie _is_ the problem."

Although he was unaccustomed to having someone in whom to confide- having spent most of his adult life with acquaintances at best, and most of his childhood being shunted from one orphanage to another- Rick felt compelled to answer Jonathan when, after filling Rick's glass, he asked, "So, what happened?"

"She shut the door in my face," Rick answered, and then began to ponder whether it was the alcohol warming his gut that was responsible for this new compulsion to share. Although he didn't wonder for long because Jonathan's laughter broke his concentration.

"Oh yeah, that's our Evie," Jonathan chuckled, "although," he continued, pausing to get his breath back. "You must have done something pretty bad to get the door slam."

The word 'bad' echoed in Rick's head as he toyed with his once again full shot glass. There was no way he would ever have picked the word bad to describe his actions, but maybe Jonathan would see things differently. Taking a deep breath he brought the glass to his lips, imbibed the liquor, and exhaled another confession.

"I told her I loved her," he said as he slammed the glass back down and pulled himself another drink.

Jonathan's eyes almost fell out of his head, although Rick didn't initially see; after having received no response Rick finally looked up, and began laughing.

Jonathan had frozen mid-movement, his mouth wide open, and his hand holding his glass somewhere between the table and his lips.

"I know!" Rick said still laughing, although know he didn't know why. "I told her I loved her, and she shut a door in my face."

Jonathan, now moving again, quickly gulped his drink and proceeded to pour himself and Rick another one before finally speaking.

"Yep," he said. "That's definitely our Evie."

* * *

By the time Evelyn stepped out of the bath her skin was almost as red as the bloody water that was draining away, and although her wounds were thoroughly cleansed, the minute she stepped out of the water she felt as dirty as she had before she stepped in. Forcing herself away from the bath and the temptation to draw another, Evelyn strode forcefully into the bedroom and towards her trunk, in the pursuit of finding a clean nightgown.

As she looked through her clothes Evelyn remembered the last time she had done the same thing, after Rick had locked her in her bedroom. She remembered picking her gown very carefully, choosing the sexist one she owned, just in case Rick accidentally saw her in it.

"Maybe if I hadn't," she thought, "things might have turned out differently."

Suddenly, as if having a vision, the room around Evelyn faded to Hamunaptra, and Imhotep's gravely Egyptian tones assaulted her ears as his face came into view. The ancient Egyptian words faded, and Benni's weasely voice began unnecessarily interpreting.

"Prince Imhotep says he likes your dress."

"Approves of, actually," Evelyn corrected Benni defiantly. The smile soon melted from her face, however, as Imhotep commanded Benni out of the room and stepped towards her, smiling.

Standing in the bedroom Evelyn squeezed her eyes tight and shook her head, trying to force the vision away.

"No," she said loudly to herself, "not again!"

Pushing aside all of her black nighties she had packed hopefully at the top of the trunk she found what she was looking for, and slipped it over her head.

As she turned to the bed the mirror reflected momentarily the full length white cotton nightdress that now hid her body.

* * *

"Tell me something about your sister," Rick slurred as he stumbled across the room with the bottle in one hand and his glass in the other.

It was now the early hours of the morning and the men had nearly finished the bottle. Having found the chairs to be to problematic in his drunken state Jonathan was now lying across one of the day beds, and Rick was heading towards the other.

"My sister?" Jonathan asked, confused.

"Yeah, yeah," Rick agreed as he lay down and hooked his boots over the end of the couch. "You know- Evie."

"Oh _Evie_," Jonathan replied smiling wildly. "Did you know Evie is my sister?" he said triumphantly, waving his glass in the air and threatening to fall off his perch.

Rick thought seriously for a moment.

"Yeah," he said eventually. "I did know that."

"Oh," Jonathan frowned and stuck his bottom lip out petulantly. "Well, did you know that I" -he tapped his chest- "happen to be her brother?"

Rick thought again seriously. Although he had drunk as much if not more than Jonathan he was currently in a better state. "No," he said, humouring the man. "I did not know that."

"Ah ha!" Jonathan yelled triumphantly and laid back.

"Why don't you tell me what was going on this morning, between you two?" Rick asked, trying to sneak in the question and failing.

Jonathan turned so sharply to face him once more that he fell off the couch and landed on his hands and knees. "Oh, no," he said looking up, "I couldn't tell you that, Evie would kill me."

Rolling himself off his own couch and onto his knees, Rick looked Jonathan straight in the eye.

"And what makes you think I wont?" he asked quietly.

The question hit Jonathan like a cup of strong coffee, sobering him considerably.

"Rick," he said as he manoeuvred himself back on to the seat. "You know I can't tell you."

"Jonathan," Rick mimicked as he manoeuvred himself the same way. "I want to know!"

"It was nothing really," Jonathan persisted half heartedly as he poured himself a drink.

Rick was unmoved; he suddenly had an urgency to know what the argument had been about.

"Jonathan?"

As Jonathan knocked back his drink he began to wonder how he always ended up in these kinds of awkward situations. As the whiskey burnt his throat his brain kicked in, a little too late.

"Oh yeah," he realised "the drink." Looking up he realised Rick was still staring at him intently. "Look," he sighed, giving in. "I just saw she was hurt and I told her to get help, she said no and that was pretty much it."

"Hurt?" Rick asked, concerned he hadn't seen anything.

"Yeah," Jonathan said. "She had some bruises and cuts, here," he explained as he waved his hand in front of his chest and shoulders. "Look, I told her to tell you but she said no, and you know how stubborn she can be."

Rick was genuinely hurt. He couldn't believe she hadn't told him! He swallowed the drink Jonathan had just poured before asking the question out loud. "Why didn't she want to tell me?"

Jonathan shrugged "I don't know," he admitted, "she said it was nothing."

"Was it?" Rick asked.

Jonathan paused as he refilled the glasses, and tried to work out the best way to answer. "It looked pretty sore," he admitted honestly. "But nothing serious."

Rick didn't reply, he just drained his glass and lay back on the couch; he had some serious thinking to do. Realising he was off the hook, Jonathan did the same.

Over the next half an hour the men, in silence, took it in turns to fill one another's glasses.

As Rick lay silently on the couch he could not get Evelyn out of his mind. The fact that she was hurt, and that she hadn't wanted to share it with him, offended him so deeply even he was surprised.

Rick realised that he never wanted to be in the position of not knowing something about Evelyn ever again, and not only that, but that the idea of not being in her life repulsed him. Slowly he slid his hand into his trouser pocket and retrieved the artefact he had inexplicably hidden there earlier. As he turned it over and over in his hand he realised what he wanted to do.

Rolling of the sofa drunkenly, Rick crawled across the floor.

"Jonathan," he called and poked the dozing man. "Jonathan, wake up."

"What?" Jonathan asked sleepily, turning his head but not opening his eyes.

"Jonathan," Rick paused as he tried to steady himself on his knees. "Do you... do you think I'd make a good husband?"

Jonathan now opened one eye lazily.

"No," he said, having returned to his own drunken state and failing to comprehend the question. "You're too short."

Rick looked confused for a second before he realised what Jonathan was on about.

"That's because I'm kneeling!"

"Oh," Jonathan exclaimed as he finally opened his other eye. "Oh yeah." Fully awake now, Jonathan could see Rick kneeling on the floor, and that in his left hand he was clutching a shiny gold ring.

"So?" Rick prompted impatiently; his knees were starting to get tired

"I err..." Jonathan stumbled over his words "I'm sorry but you're just not my type."

"Jonathan!" Rick moaned, his patience finally leaving him at the same time as his balance did. Falling backwards Rick landed on the floor in a heap. Slowly he pulled himself up and leant against his own couch. "I want to marry Evie," he whined.

"Oh," Jonathan exclaimed once again, as he realised that that actually made a lot more sense.

"So?" Rick asked once again hopefully.

Jonathan just stared back. He felt like he was missing something. Then it hit him; Rick was asking for his permission.

Jonathan and Evie's parents had died when they were a lot younger, and Rick knew it. Consequently Jonathan was the only person Rick could ask for Evie's hand. Realising the seriousness of the situation Jonathan sat up with a straight face and poured the last of the whiskey into the two glasses. Standing up unsteadily he crossed to Rick and handed him one of them. Suddenly his face cracked into a wide smile. "Of course you can," he grinned as he smacked his glass against Rick's. "That's if you can get past the slamming door!"


	4. The morning after

**Chapter four. - The morning after.**

The next morning, as the sun approached its apex it lined up perfectly to send a shaft of light shining through one of the hotel's bedroom windows, and on to the face of a sleeping adventurer. Stirring from his slumber he opened his eyes slowly. He regretted the action the minute he did it however, as the bright light caused a small implosion in his head. Immediately he snapped his eyes back shut but it did nothing to quell the loud thumping that was now taking place in his head.

"Oh," he groaned loudly as he reluctantly opened his eyes once again, and blinked in an effort to clear his vision. He might not know where he was but he knew what he was.

Rick O'Connell was hung-over.

"Oh," he groaned again as he tried to roll over and found that he couldn't. A sharp pain erupted in his neck and shot down his spine. Lifting his head slightly to see what the problem was, he was surprised when the first thing he saw was his boots, lying on the sofa. Wondering how they got there he leant forward to reach for them, but quickly found he was at a disadvantage. His feet were still in them. If the couch was where he had tried to sleep last night, he had clearly missed.

Quickly and without thinking he slid his boots off the furniture, and they landed with a thump on the floor next to the rest of him, easing the pressure of his neck as they did so.

Rick stayed lying on the floor for a few minutes as he allowed the room time to stop spinning. Eventually, very slowly and very gently, he moved to sit up and began to look around. At least it seemed he wasn't in jail, like the last time he had woken up feeling this bad.

As he looked around the room scenes from last night began to play in his head; he and Jonathan sitting at the wicker table near the window, drinking in silence; he and Jonathan both crawling across the floor he now lay on; him again on the floor, but this time with a ring in his hand, and Jonathan producing another half bottle of whiskey just as the other one ran out. Strangely enough it was just after that point that Rick's memories became hazy.

Grabbing hold of the handily placed couch Rick pulled himself first to his knees, then to his feet, groaning as each movement jarred his head.

Shakily he begun to look around. Although he had been drunk last night he had meant every word he had said, and just as soon as he could find the ring he was going to propose to Evelyn.

"Ring..." he called as he looked under the cushions on the couch/ "Here, ringy ring..." he continued as, having no joy at his own bed, he crossed to Jonathan's vacant one and began looking there.

"I've got it!" Jonathan called loudly from the bathroom, making Rick jump. "But I'll be damned if I know how to get the bugger off!"

Worried, Rick moved as fast as his hangover would allow him towards the bathroom.

* * *

Having spent most of the night too afraid to sleep, Evie also awoke late in the day. Waking with a start Evelyn lay trembling under the light cotton sheet. As she had feared her dreams had turned to nightmares, which even the morning sunshine could not dispel.

As she began to wake up she felt a great weight rest on her body. Gasping for breath, Evelyn's heart began to pound loudly.

"No," she whispered as the nightmare became reality, "Please no..."

Moving her eyes from side to side Evie could see nothing, but she could feel something all right; something she had hoped never to feel again.

She could feel large dirty hands roaming all over body, touching her skin and making her hair stand on end, and she could smell something too; death and decay.

Staring at the ceiling, unable to move, Evie's eyes went wide as she felt all of her cuts being ripped afresh.

"Rick," she managed to whimper through the pain.

A laughing voice echoed through the room.

_He is not coming_, it taunted.

Evie's stomach contracted at the sound of Imhotep's voice.

"He is," she argued back in a small voice. "He loves me."

Again the laughing came. _How can he,_ it asked, _when he knows not what you've done?_

"But I love him!"

_Ha!_ Imhotep spat, his face finally appearing. _You are mine and that's all you'll ever be_. Evelyn breathed in deeply as he slowly began to dig his fingernails into her flesh. _This is what I decree._

"Rick!" Evelyn screamed loudly as the pain got too much. Imhotep smiled, his laughter only getting louder as she screamed over and over again.

_**Knock knock.**_

Evie's eyes snapped open as the sound of the door woke her. Slowly she rolled out of bed.

Crossing to the door on shaky feet, she opened it wide and was surprised to see Rick standing there. He had obviously been crying as there were deep red rings around his eyes.

"Rick?" she asked, worried as he entered the room wordlessly.

"What's...?"

"How could you?" he asked, cutting her off sharply as he spun around. Anger was now etched on his face.

"I...how..." Evie stumbled. She didn't understand what he was asking.

Suddenly and without warning Rick raised his hand and slapped Evelyn violently across the face, sending her spinning across the room. "You bitch!" he screamed. "I never want to see you again!"

Scared and hurt Evie held her face as she looked up, just in time to see him leaving the room. "But I love you," she whispered- too late.

Tears stained the pillow beneath Evelyn's head as she tossed and turned in restless sleep. Crying out her beloved's name, she eventually woke her self up for real.

* * *

Slamming the door behind him, Rick left Jonathans room and strode purposefully down the corridor. He had just spent half of the last hour struggling with Jonathan's swollen fingers. He didn't know how the diamond ring had ended up being worn by Jonathan, and to be perfectly honest he wasn't sure he wanted to know. Rick paused and removed the ring from his pocket and watched as the sun glinted on it. Evie was the only Carnahan he had any interest in wearing it.

Rick had spent the rest of the hour sprucing himself up for Evelyn; he had washed, shaved, brushed his hair and changed his shirt, all the while with Jonathan looking on and making glib comments.

"I don't know why you're so nervous," he had goaded, meeting Rick's eyes in the mirror after watching him comb his hair for the fourth time. "We've just spent the last couple of days fighting undead mummies- this should be a walk in the park."

Rick raised his eyebrows at the "we've," but didn't comment until Jonathan had finished.

"Your sister," he began, turning to face him, "has more power to hurt me than any undead mummy ever will."

Now it was Jonathan's turn to raise his eyebrows and shake his head. From were he sat he could see the considerable bruising across Rick's chest as he changed shirts yet again.

"I doubt it," he said honestly. "Evie couldn't hurt a fly."

Rick had just sighed and turned back to the mirror. There had been no point in answering; Jonathan just didn't get the romantic stuff.

To be honest Rick couldn't blame him; he hadn't understood it either. That was until he had met Evelyn.

Now as Rick stood outside Evie's room in his fresh white shirt, tanned trousers and, much to Jonathan's amusement, his pistol holders, he felt more nervous than he could ever remember being before. Sure standing on the gallows with a noose around his neck hadn't exactly been a bundle of laughs, but back then he hadn't had anything to live for- unlike now.

Taking a deep breath he rapped loudly on the door.

* * *

Terrified that she was dreaming yet again, Evelyn had lay perfectly still and waited for something to happen. When it didn't she had eventually sat up, her tired and bruised muscles complaining with various degrees of pain as she did so. Pausing as she took a deep breath to get through the pain, Evelyn gazed around the room.

She sat transfixed for a moment by the fluttering of the long white damask curtain that hung at her window. As the fabric parted she could see the sun high in the sky. The realisation that it must be at least late morning prompted her to slide from beneath the sheets and plant her feet on the surprisingly cold floor. Getting to her feet gently, she jumped as a loud noise echoed through the room.

The sound was that of someone knocking on her room's wooden outer door, and it caused her to freeze initially, but as it continued Evelyn realised that whoever it was wasn't going to give up. Grabbing her robe she made her way to the door, but then realising the heat of the day she laid the robe to one side and made her way across the floor. Gripping the brass door handle she moved to open it, just as more knocking made her jump. Opening it just a crack, she peered around the edge cautiously.

The full horror of her earlier dream came rushing back as she saw Rick standing in the hall. "Yes, what do you want?" she snapped, unable to restrain her emotions.

"Evie!" Rick couldn't help but cry back, shocked by her tone. Receiving no response the adventurer went to continue nevertheless. "I err..." he began. "No scratch that, are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Evie bluffed, "but I'm busy, so if you didn't want anything..." She tried to close the door, eager to retreat into her solitude; she didn't feel able to deal with Rick right now.

"Evie!" Rick cried again, surprised by her behaviour. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Can it wait?" she asked as she fidgeted, unnerved by his presence.

"Well not ..." Rick began.

"Ok, good. Bye," Evie didn't let him finish; taking advantage of his confusion she slammed the door shut quickly. Sighing almost with relief she leant against the door for just a second before making her way across the room.

She hated being away from Rick. To be honest there was a large part of her telling her to go back and take comfort in Rick's arms, and yet there was the part of her that just couldn't bare to have him anywhere close. Resting her head in her hands she fought the urge to sob. It was all so confusing.

Rick stood and stared at the closed door in disbelief. He couldn't believe she had done it again. He went to turn away but found he couldn't. Something was wrong. Rick knew it- he could feel it- and he was determined to find out what.

"Evie!" he shouted loudly as he begun to bang on the door again. "Evie!"

Minutes later and after receiving no response, Rick stepped back.

Realising he should have followed his instinct last night, he now knew what he had to do. There was no way Rick O'Connell was going to make the same mistake twice. Taking a couple more steps back he rushed at Evelyn's door with his shoulder firm. Slamming his body against the door, the wood around the lock and one of the hinges splintered with a loud crack.


	5. Chasing an explination

**Chapter five. - Chasing an explanation.**

The door broke open and he stumbled into the room. Looking up as he did so he caught sight of Evelyn fumbling to put some kind of gown around her shoulders.

"O'Connell!" she cried a second later after recovering, "What in God's name do you think you are doing?"

Although a little surprised and shocked by the 'O'Connell', as he had thought them to be on first name terms by now, Rick grinned wildly.

"I told you I wanted to talk," he said.

"You- you can't come in here!" Evelyn argued fruitlessly, taking a step backwards as Rick stepped further into the room.

"I think it's a little late for that," he admitted sheepishly as he eyed the broken door.

Evie was scared now, really scared; the violent Rick of her dreams was at the forefront of her mind- so much so she could almost feel the handprint burning into her cheek. She took another step back.

"Evie?" Rick called, concerned by her actions. "What's going on?"

"No...no...nothing," she stumbled as she moved yet further back

Rick just raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Nothing," she insisted again, "I'm just...just tired."

Rick stared at her for a moment and, noting the weary look in her eyes, decided to let the point go.

"Ok," he said, "but I still want to talk to you." Crossing to one of the couches in the room he patted the back of it. "Will you sit down?"

Worried by his request and the serious look on his face, Evelyn nodded, but instead of moving to the chair Rick had indicated Evie moved further away and sat in one of the wicker chairs by the window.

"Okay," Rick breathed, nodding his head. She obviously wasn't going to make this easy for him. Watching Evelyn as he crossed the room, however, Rick realised he had never felt surer about doing what he was about to.

"Evie" he began as he knelt down next to her. "I want you to know that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and make you happy."

Evie looked down at Rick, surprised by his words, but as she met his soft blue eyes she felt her fright begin to fade away. "I know," she nodded, smiling gently.

Encouraged, Rick took her hand in his.

"I love you," he continued, "more than I ever thought possible."

Evie leant forward in her chair. She really liked what Rick was saying.

Taking a deep breath Rick pulled the ring from his pocket and held it so she could see it.

"Evelyn Carnahan," he asked, "will you marry me?"

The minute the words were out Rick held his breath and waited for an answer.

Evelyn felt sick to her stomach; as she had leant forward an intimate pain had shot through her body. "No," she whispered and pulled her hand from his. "No."

Now it was Rick's turn to feel sick. His mouth fell just a little open as his entire body went numb within a second, and he was pretty sure his heart had just died in his chest. _She said no_, his mind screamed again and again. _She said no!_

Evie turned her eyes away from Rick; she couldn't bear to see the pain in his eyes.

"I...I..." Rick stumbled to regain the use of his vocal cords. "I asked Jonathan," he told her, in a faint hope that it might matter.

"I'm sorry," Evie whispered as she stood up and desperately tried not to cry at the hopefulness in Rick's voice. "I can't be your wife- I can't be anyone's." Slowly she began to walk away from him, and when she thought herself far enough away she added, "Not now anyway," quietly to herself.

Standing only seconds after Evelyn had, Rick followed her. "What do you mean not now?" he asked loudly, smelling a rat.

Surprised by his close proximity, Evie froze next to the sofas.

Grabbing her shoulders Rick spun her around so she was facing him. "What do you mean not now?" he repeated forcefully. "What's happened?"

Evie didn't respond- she couldn't, she was too panicked to do anything.

Shocked by the alarm in her eyes, Rick immediately let go.

"My God, I'm sorry," he apologised as he realised the ferocity of his actions. "I'm sorry."

Stumbling backwards as he let go, the back of Evelyn's legs hit the side of the chair and she sat down heavily.

"Evie," Rick moaned softly and knelt down in front of her once again. "You're not just tired, are you? Look, please tell me what's going on. I love you, and I want to help."

Looking up at Rick as he spoke, Evie's heart ached to believe his words, but as she opened her mouth to reply, Imhotep's voice roared through her head.

_No one can ever love you as I have_, the voice broke to laugh, _and when he knows, the human won't even want to try_.

Evie's stomach lurched as it always did when she remembered the mummy.

"You can't," she said to Rick eventually. "You can't."

"Cant what?" Rick asked straight back, "Can't love you? Or can't help you?"

"Both," Evelyn sighed, her face falling.

"What if," Rick continued, "you let me be the judge of that?"

"No!" Evelyn shook her head and got to her feet. She couldn't be so close to Rick anymore. Quickly she crossed to the window before continuing. "You cant help me, you cant love me you... you don't know-" Stopping herself short, Evelyn realised what she had almost done.

Standing up quickly, Rick was concerned by what she had said- and even more so about what she hadn't. Turning around he followed her to the window.

"Know what?" he asked as he did so.

Evie kept her back to him and her gaze out the window; her mind was tearing itself apart.

"Know what?" Rick demanded once again as he reached her. "Evie, tell me!"

Unable to take anymore, Evelyn cracked.

"Know...know...what he did," she whispered eventually through jagged breaths.

Rick's own throat went dry; he knew immediately who she was talking about.

"What did he do?" he asked, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible.

It was the question Evelyn had been dreading, but she had neither the physical nor mental energy to avoid it any longer.

"He..." She paused, unable to believe what she was doing. "He hurt me," she said slowly, enunciating each word to make sure it came out.

"Oh," Rick said with a sigh of relief. "It's ok, I know."

"WHAT!?" Evelyn's mind and mouth screamed at the same time, as she spun around to face Rick "You- you know? How?"

Rick stared at Evelyn for a moment, surprised by her reaction- and lack of one; as she had spun around Evie had smacked her thigh hard against the near table, and yet she had shown to sign of even noticing.

"Erm, Jonathan, told me about the bruises on your shoulders," Rick admitted reluctantly. Stepping towards her he continued, "Are you ok?"

Evelyn exhaled heavily, stepping backwards away from Rick as she did so.

"Yes," she lied, "I'm fine." Although she knew Rick had misunderstood what she had been trying to tell him, suddenly she had no desire to put him right. Having had a second to think she couldn't believe she had been so stupid as to even try to tell him.

"Evie?" Rick asked suspiciously. "That wasn't what you meant was it?" Suddenly he was full of worry again. Quickly he moved around the corner of the table, towards her. "My god," he exclaimed as he did so, "you're hurt."

Following his eyes Evie looked down and saw a large red mark defiantly staining her white nightgown. For the first time she realised there was a burning pain in her thigh.

"Of course it was," Evie bluffed, and started moving backwards again, edging around the far end of the table.

"Evie!" Rick scolded as authoritatively as he could, and began following her around the table too. "You're hurt, let me see."

"No!" Evie argued, and continued to move away.

Not willing to take that as an answer, Rick continued to follow, effectively chasing her around the table. Hampered by the pain now shooting through her leg, Evie failed to notice as Rick changed his tack- and direction. Suddenly he was right in front of her.

"Stop!" Rick commanded as she tried to turn away quickly. Exasperated when she ignored him, Rick reached out and grabbed her arm. Pulling her towards him he repeated his command. "Evie, stop."

Spinning around involuntarily, Evie's weight shifted on to her injured leg and she winced audibly.

Seeing, and hearing, her distress prompted Rick in to action. "Right, that's it," he said. Almost picking her up, he forced her to walk backwards until her back hit the internal wall, which separated the reception room from the bedroom. "I'm having a look at that leg," he told her as his large body pinned her smaller one against the wall.

Evie was scared now, really scared. Partially because she was terrified of what might happen if he did look, and partially because Rick had just pulled his flick knife from his back pocket.

"No," she begged, her terror consuming her as she realised she couldn't get away. "Please no."

"Hey," Rick soothed as he felt his beloved begin to tremble in his arms. "Hey," he repeated, and used his free hand to tilt her chin softly back so he could look into her eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you," he swore, "I love you, remember?"

Evelyn nodded just slightly. She was tired, and standing there in Rick's arms the last of her fight disappeared out the door and sank deep into the hot desert sand.

_He loves me_, she began chanting over the evil laughter that started in her head, as she felt Rick's hands move down her body. _He loves me, he loves me, he loves me..._


	6. Revelations

**Chapter six. - Revelations.**

As he lowered himself to the floor Rick ran his hands down Evelyn's sides until they were resting on her hips. His mouth was dry before his knees touched the floor, and not from fear. Desperately he tried not to think about the connotations of what he was about to do, choosing rather to concentrate on the why. Letting go of her body, reluctantly Rick opened his knife with a quick flick of his wrist as his other hand, with great care and tenderness, pulled the soft material of the nightgown away from the skin on Evie's thighs. Taking in a deep breath, Rick took a second to compose himself before sliding the blade through the white cotton and beginning to pull down, the sharp blade efficiently cutting a split straight down the middle of her skirt. Pausing as he put the knife away, Rick looked up at Evelyn and saw, much to his surprise, that she had her eyes squeezed tightly shut and appeared to be whispering to herself. Concerned, Rick lowered his head and continued with his task.

As unexcited as it is possible for a red-blooded male to be in such a situation, Rick raised his now free left hand and gently slid it in through the torn material of Evelyn's gown.

Evie jumped as she felt Rick's skin touch hers for the first time, and as his fingers lightly grazed a path across the delicate skin on her right thigh she bit her lip in an effort not to moan.

Slowly Rick's hand slid still further around her leg, taking with it the curtain of fabric that he had created, and exposing her flesh, and continued to caress around its circular path until the majority of it was exposed.

As his eyes lit upon what he had been searching for- the wound that had bled through the cotton- Rick had to stop him self from gasping aloud.

Branded across Evelyn's taught thigh were five inflamed scarlet lacerations, surrounded by deep bruising. As the shock wore off, Rick began to realise there was a familiar pattern to the mark he was looking at. The bruises and scratches started high on Evie's inner thigh and travelled outwards in five narrow channels, until the cuts stopped and the bruises widened into a circular shape.

"My god," Rick whispered under his breath as he realised what it was; a handprint.

Quickly Rick pulled his hand back and the shocking wound disappeared behind the returning fabric. Without using any of the tenderness he had before, Rick now pulled the material away from Evelyn's other thigh. This time he couldn't stop himself from making a noise as he found exactly the same markings there, just reversed.

The pain Rick had felt when Evie had turned him down paled into insignificance compared to how he felt now.

Standing up sharply, he stared deep into Evelyn's now open eyes.

"Did he do that?" he asked, stumbling over his words.

Evie couldn't answer him; a large lump had appeared in her throat, so she just nodded sadly.

Rick felt his blood begin to boil as he realised the next question he had to ask.

"Did- did he do anything else?"

Again Evie couldn't answer. Her face began to crinkle and her eyes began to swell with tears. Reluctantly she nodded once again.

Unable to believe what his mind was suggesting, Rick bit his top lip as his own eyes began to swell and his anger began to make him shake.

"Did he..?" He paused, unable to believe what he was about to say. "Did he rape you?" Rick pushed the words roughly past the lump in his own throat.

The tears that fell down Evelyn's face as the word hit her were answer in themselves, but she nodded anyway for a third.

Rick snapped his eyes away from Evelyn's and spun on his heel. He didn't want her to see his own anguish. Unable to control his anger, Rick screamed and kicked the chair in front of him, sending it spinning across the room. Behind him Evelyn jumped silently as it broke noisily on the stone floor.

Unable to believe that he knew, Evelyn held her breath, waiting for him to turn back. When after a minute he hadn't, she used her sore throat to call to him softly.

"Rick?"

Standing in the middle of the room, Rick was so over whelmed by his distress he barely heard her. He couldn't believe he had allowed such a thing to happen. His anger, not sated by the outburst on the chair, was so strong that he was convinced that had Imhotep still been alive, he could quite easily, and willingly kill him with his bare hands- the very hands that were clenched in fists at his sides. His whole body twitched with rage as many violent images played through his mind.

The desperation in Evie's voice stroked his guilt further as he heard her call out to him again. He couldn't understand how, when he had failed to protect her so badly, Evie still called to him. Ashamed and yet furious beyond belief, Rick could not bring himself to face the woman he loved, and thus he begun to walk towards the door.

"Rick?" Evie gasped through tears that would not stop. She felt as if her heart had been ripped from her chest. Rick knew her secret, and now it seemed Imhotep had been right; he had turned from her.

As Evie watched through blurry eyes, she willed him to turn around, to say he still loved her, or hated her even, just to say something, anything. Then she saw him move and all her worst fears were confirmed. One step, two steps, he was walking away. "Please, Rick!" she cried, and lurched away from the wall that had been supporting her. As she did so however the room begun to spin, and in her weakened state she was unable to support herself. Falling heavily to the floor, she winced in pain, but only cried out again as she looked up with her tear bitten face and saw Rick reach the door. "Please," she begged "I...I...I love you," she began sobbing. "I love you."

The words stopped Rick in his tracks as they burnt into his soul. They were the words he had wanted to hear ever since that very first day that he had met Evie in that god-awful prison. Amongst the filth and the stench, Evie had shone out like a diamond, stunningly beautiful and elegant and, most charmingly of all, completely unaware of it. Rick knew in that very first moment that if he survived the next forty-eight hours, then the day would come when he would try and make that vision his wife.

Slowly, as he stood in the doorway, Rick's bottom lip began to tremble as the rage he was feeling started to be washed away by a pain unlike any he ever felt before.

Without warning Jonathan suddenly appeared in front of Rick. Standing in the hallway he smiled wildly. With one hand he was carrying a large bottle, and in the other three champagne glasses.

"So," he said to Rick. "Is it time to celebrate you making my innocent little sis into a woman?"

Rick stood perfectly still as he felt his entire body tense up again. The word innocent bounced uncomfortably around in his head and he realised, for the first time, that Imhotep had probably stolen Evie's innocence. The idea made his stomach turn over, and brought his blood back to the boil. Pushing Jonathan roughly aside, he stomped out of the room.

"Riiick!" Evie screamed, but it was too late- he was gone. "I'm sorry," she cried as she dissolved into hysteria on the floor. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Amazed by Rick's behaviour, Jonathan stumbled back towards the room.

"What's his..." he begun as he re-entered the room, but the sentence died in his throat as he looked around and took in the scene in front of him. Somewhere to the right of him lay a broken wooden chair, but that didn't concern him. What did, however, was his sister.

Evie lay face down on the floor with her arms outstretched towards the door, her body convulsing as she gasped for breath with violent tears.

"My god," Jonathan whispered as he dropped the bottle and glasses onto the near-by couch and ran to her. Once there, he could see her ripped nightdress and the blood stain on it. "What happened?" he asked as he sat beside her.

Evie didn't answer him, she couldn't, she just kept whispering to herself, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," over and over again.

Her distress was so overwhelming, Jonathan wasn't even sure if she knew he was there. "Hey," he called to her after a minute of wondering what to do. "Hey, this isn't exactly the marital bliss I was expecting to find, but let's work with what we've got." Gently he began to pull her towards him and into a seating position. "Evie!" he shouted once she was facing him, "Evie!"

Her hysteria lessening as she heard her name, Evelyn eventually become lucid enough to acknowledge her brother.

"Jonathan," she whimpered as she saw his face. "Oh Jonathan..."

"Hey, hey," the young man called quietly, and he pulled her into his arms as she began to cry again, albeit gently. "Evie, what happened?" Jonathan asked gently as he cradled his little sister in his arms. As he stroked her hair he remembered how he had used to do the same thing, after their parents had died.

"Oh Jonathan," Evie whispered, "it's all my fault. Rick hates me and it's all my fault."

"Shush," Jonathan soothed as he felt Evie begin to shake again. "Ssshh." As he looked down at her he saw the bloody stain again, and realised a question he needed to ask. "Evie?" he asked softly, "Did Rick hurt you?"

Outraged by the idea, Evelyn pulled herself away from Jonathan.

"No!" she said. "No, of course not."

"Good," Jonathan sighed with relief, and then seeing his sisters confused eyes, he added, "But you know if he had, I would have gladly gone and given him a piece of my mind. And then let him beat me to a pulp for you."

"Oh, Jonathan would you?" Evie asked as she stumbled over an idea. Jonathan looked at her warily. "Would you go and find Rick," she added, "and tell him that I'm- I'm sorry and- and..." Evie's voice broke down as the tears came again. "And...that...I...didn't...mean...it...to...happen," she finished, punctuating each word with a sob.

Pulling her back for another cuddle Jonathan nodded.

"Yes," he agreed after a short pause. "As long as I don't have to do the getting beaten to a pulp part."


	7. Working it out

**Chapter seven, - Working it out.**

_Find Rick_, Jonathan thought as he walked down the corridor half an hour later. _Yeah, because that's going to be easy!_

After much cajoling and promising to do as she asked, Jonathan had finally managed to get Evie to consent to go to bed. Although she had insisted it would only be to rest, the moment her head had hit the pillow she had almost passed out, her body and mind wrecked from the afternoon she had just experienced.

Although none the wiser as to what had happened Jonathan knew it was serious; he had never seen his calm and orderly sister so emotional before, and to be honest it completely unnerved him.

Standing in the lobby of the hotel Jonathan had no idea where to go next. He had visited both Rick's room and his own- after checking the bar of course- all of which lacked any sign of the American.

Wandering around aimlessly in a circle, Jonathan accidentally bumped into one of the two men stomping in through the lobby's doors.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." he began to apologise. The largest of the two men just waved him away and continued talking with his partner. What with nothing better to do, coupled with an undeniable nosey streak, Jonathan began to listen to their conversation.

"What a damn cheek that fellow had, sending us away like that," the larger of the two men grumbled to his friend in a gruff English accent

"I know," his friend agreed in a crisper accent, "but what did you expect? He was one of those blasted Americans."

Jonathan's ear's pricked up; maybe finding Rick wouldn't be so hard after all.

"I say, excuse me chaps," Jonathan interrupted, tapping the smaller man on the shoulder. "Did I hear you mention having some trouble with an American?"

The small man turned around and greeted Jonathan with a grin.

"Yes," he said in a friendly manner. "I know we shouldn't moan, especially what with those American deaths, but this man came barging into the gym and started knocking benches over. Screaming and shouting he was- told us all to get out."

"Really?" Jonathan asked, raising his eyebrows. He hadn't realised the hotel had a gym. "And you did?" he asked, probing further.

"Why of course," the friendly man continued. "The fellow was armed- armed I tell you! Why a man needs a couple of pistols strapped to his side in a gym, I don't know." The man paused to take a breath, and shook his head disapprovingly. "I mean, me and Harry here can handle ourselves in the ring just fine, but we're not stupid!"

"No, no, of course not." Jonathan was nodding profusely; he was so convinced that the man in the gym was Rick that he wanted to head there. His only problem now was getting away from this chatterbox. As it happened, the man's friend provided his way out.

"So, is this guy a friend of yours?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Er... no," Jonathan lied. "Actually, he is...my patient. You see we're, erm, trying to work on his anger issues," he continued with the first thing that came into his head. "So if you'll excuse me, I really must go and find him."

Turning abruptly, Jonathan ran out of the door the men had entered through, and denied them any chance to reply.

"A doctor?" the small man asked, turning to his friend after a second of stunned silence. "Anger issues?"

"Americans!" Harry shrugged, and headed towards the bar, unaware that he was about to be disappointed.

As he headed down the new corridor, Jonathan begun to wonder why he had never seen any of the signs for the gym before.

"Maybe they're new?" he whispered under his breath as he saw yet another one pointing the way. _Or maybe you just didn't want to see them..._ his mind argued traitorously. Jonathan just smiled to himself. "Yeah, maybe," he admitted.

After following the signs for a few minutes Jonathan came across the gym's double doors; made from solid wood, they had a small high circular window in each door, which Jonathan had to stand on his toes to see through. As he leant against the door he became aware of a rhythmic pounding emanating from inside. Intrigued, he peered through the glass.

The gym held a large boxing ring at one end, and weights and punch bags at the other. The walls of the room were tiled, right up to the high ceiling. There were a few small windows located just below the ceiling, through which the brightness of the desert sun could shine through, but not the heat.

The small corner of the large tiled hall that Jonathan could see, however, reminded him of Evie's room somewhat- in the fact that it was in a state of disarray; a couple of chairs lay on their sides, while a small wooden bench was completely upside down. There was also what appeared to be a large quantity of white cotton towels scatted across the floor.

Stepping away from the door, Jonathan took a deep breath. Something had obviously happened in the gym, and he really didn't want to be the one to have to deal with it.

Brotherly loyalties began to kick in, however, as he remembered the promise he had made to the distressed Evie. Inhaling deeply, he stepped forward again and began to inch the door open. He might have been determined to keep his promise, but he was equally determined to keep his head.

Only once the door was half open did he begin to feel safe; now being able to see the entire room, Jonathan knew there was only one other man in it. As he thankfully recognised the man, he realised he was in as much of a state of disarray as the room he inhabited.

Rick's white shirt flapped about un-tucked, and his braces hung down at his sides. His side-arms lay off to one side on a pile of towels, and he hopped from one foot to the other with frantic movement, his hair swinging with his body's rhythm.

_**Thump, thump, thump.**_

Rick punched the straw punch bag in front of him. He was mad, really mad, and he knew not what to do about it. The one thing that he would have guessed would have sated him- the killing of Imhotep- he had denied himself days ago. So he was at a loss.

_**Thump, thump.**_

The punch bag would have to take the punishment for now.

Rick's own mind fuelled his anger, and consequently his fists.

First it had tormented him about what a failure he'd been at protecting the woman he loved.

_**Thump, thump.**_

Then it had begun to bombard him with upsetting and painful scenes that he had never seen.

Imhotep kissing Evie.

_**Thump, thump.**_

Imhotep tying Evie's wrists.

_**Thump, thump.**_

Imhotep touching Evie's skin, and inflicting the wounds he had seen.

_**Thump, thump, thump, thump**._

Rick's punches became more devastating as the visions did.

Imhotep forcing Evie.

_**THUMP, THUMP.**_

Evie crying out in pain.

**_THUMP_...**

Only when someone tapped on his shoulder did the rhythm break. Spinning on the balls of his feet, Rick grabbed the assailant by his shirt and threw him against the near wall.

"Hey!" Jonathan cried out in pain and alarm as Rick grabbed his shirt again. "Hey, it's me!"

"So?" Rick fumed, not letting go.

"So?" Jonathan was astounded. "So, I'm not a bad guy, which is why you should let me go."

"Did you know?" Rick asked angrily, shaking the man again.

Jonathan was dumbfounded; he had no idea what Rick was on about. He certainty hadn't bargained on this kind of a welcome. Sure by now he had guessed that Evie might have turned down Rick's proposal, but even that was still a guess, and it didn't exactly explain Rick's behaviour.

"Know what?" he asked innocently. Even when Jonathan did know the answerer to things he often played dumb, so it came quite naturally.

"What that... _thing_ did?" Rick spat out the last two words with such venom that Jonathan didn't really need to ask his next question, as he already knew the answer.

"Thing?" he repeated. "You have got to mean old mummy boy- Imhotep."

"Yes!" Rick admitted and shook Jonathan again; he really needed to know if Jonathan had kept Evie's secret from him.

_Ok_, Jonathan thought to himself as he stared at Rick's stony face. _Rick's not in the mood to play twenty questions, and I'm a little tired of getting shaken_.

"Did I know about what thing?" he asked the adventurer slightly flippantly. "The plagues? The sand trick? The kidnap...?"

"The rape," Rick interjected.

Nodding his head Jonathan's momentum carried him forward. "The r-" He went to repeat, stopping just as he realised what Rick had said. "The _what_?" he almost shouted, his eyes wide.

Rick took one look at him and let go of his shirt; it was obvious he hadn't known.

"The rape," he repeated quietly as he stepped away.

Jonathan stood for a second and felt his heart pounding in his ears.

_No_, he thought loudly, _no, Rick must have got it wrong_.

Looking up, he saw Rick walking away.

"Wait!" he cried aloud and ran to the adventurer's side. "Wait," he repeated as he reached Rick's side, but once there he didn't know what else to say.

With his anger quietened for the moment, Rick turned the upside down bench upright again and sat on it. Grabbing a towel as he did so he began to rub his neck.

"It's true," he said once again softly, as he looked up and saw Jonathan needed some help with the idea.

"No," Jonathan replied, shaking his head as he sat next to Rick. "No, it can't be," he croaked, feeling decisively week.

Rick paused for a moment before speaking again, as he knew exactly how Jonathan was feeling; pretty much like he had just been shot.

"It is true, she told me, and..." he paused once again as Jonathan looked up sharply, "and I've seen the marks."

Suddenly all the pieces fell into place and it all made sense; the torn nightgown, the blood, the tears, her being sick and not wanting Rick to know. "Oh Evie," Jonathan whimpered as his head fell into his hands.

The lump in Rick's throat returned as he watched Jonathans anguish.

"I know," he said and patted the man's back. "I know."

Suddenly as he thought about it, Jonathan experienced some of the rage Rick had known.

"You!" he said, looking up viciously. "You had a fight with her- even after you knew!"

Rick was taken aback.

"Had a fight?" he repeated Jonathan's accusation calmly, understanding his anger. "We didn't have a fight, she told me and I..." he paused as he realised his actions for the first time. "And I left," he finished, ashamed.

"You left her," Jonathan repeated with undisguised contempt. "You know she thinks it's all her fault," he continued as he remembered his sister's words. "She thinks you hate her- in fact she sent me to find you and tell you that she's sorry."

Rick's insides twisted painfully as he took in his own actions- and Jonathan's words. "My god," he swore and jumped to his feet. "I...I never meant that! I've got to see her."

Jonathan lowered his head once again. As his anger left him, the enormity of the situation dawned on him. Even the banging of the heavy gym door behind Rick did not disturb his reverie. All his life people had told him he was a failure. To be honest it had never really bothered him before, but now as Jonathan sat in the gym alone, for the first time he felt it was true. He had successfully managed to fail to keep the only vow he had ever undertaken- the one he had sworn to his father just weeks before his untimely death; to protect Evelyn.


	8. Wake up call

**Chapter eight. - Wake up call.**

Evie lay with her arms stretched high above her head. The muscles were beginning to ache from being in the same position for so long, and yet she didn't move them. Turning her head from left to right and back again for the fiftieth time, she realised she was cold too. This was underscored as a cold breeze swept across her skin, and she shivered.

Evie sighed. She knew she ought to be scared, and she was to a degree, but she was also bored. Evie always had hated waiting for anything- even as a child- and this was no different.

She almost smiled when finally she heard the door she could not see creak open. That was until she remembered who might be coming through it. As she tried to sit up to get a better view her tired arms pulled painfully, and she was forced to wait until her visitor decided to show himself to her. She sighed once again, and continued the exasperating task of waiting.

_My love_, a male voice came eventually. _I'm sorry I was gone so long, but I am here now, so perhaps it would be best if we began?_

"Begin?" Evie asked under her breath. Now full of fear, she desperately wanted to wait some more.

_Yes, begin,_ the voice said as its grinning face came into view.

Evelyn didn't reply, she didn't smile back, but she refused to look away either. She just stared defiantly at the dark ceiling, as inside she begun to cower and wish for boredom.

* * *

Rick stood outside Evelyn's door, panting heavily. He had run all the way from the gym, having paused only momentarily to retrieve his sidearms and put his clothes back into some kind of order. His main thought, however, had been to get back to Evie as quickly as possible; he had hardly even noticed Jonathan's silent response as he had called to him his plan.

Now that he was here however, he didn't know what to do next. Taking a deep breath he began to think of all the things that he wanted to tell Evie- if she would allow him that was.

A minuet later, however, a noise from deep within the room stopped all his thoughts dead.

It was Evie, and she was screaming his name.

Evie had frozen at first through pure terror, and in surprise as her assailant's hands had begun to explore her body. She had only started whimpering as the first bruises and scratches were inflicted.

The big silent tears and the pleading with him to stop came as the touching turned more intimate.

She began screaming the name of the man she loved only as the skin on her thighs were ripped to shreds by Imhotep's hands, and she fully realised exactly what he planned to do.

Rick stood in the doorway to her bedroom, watching the scene in front of him with pure horror. He had burst through the broken door and, finding the reception room empty, had continued at full speed through the bedroom doors, only stopping as he saw the woman he was looking for.

Evelyn lay fully stretched on the large double bed, screaming his name at the fullest volume her tired throat would allow her. Her obvious pain was made even more distressing to him by the large tears that rolled down her face as she twisted and turned on the bed, fighting invisible restraints.

"Evie!" Rick cried as he ran to her side. Anger about what he suspected she was dreaming about gnawed deep in his stomach. "Evie please," he began to beg, "please wake up!"

As Evie felt the unique intimate pain that she thought she would remember for the rest of her life, she heard something that made her heart leap. It was a voice calling to her.

"Evie!"

It was Rick.

"Rick?" she cried back questioningly.

Imhotep's laughter echoed around the room before she heard an answer. _He's not coming,_ Imhotep taunted her

"He is!" she argued back, falling into the regular pattern of her dream. "He loves me!"

_Ha!_ Imohtep spat, and repeated the rest of his line.

Evie squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

"But I love," him she whispered, and suddenly Imhotep's laughter stopped.

"I'm here, I'm here," Rick told Evie as he knelt on the edge of the bed. Leaning over he began to shake her gently by the shoulders. "Now you've got to wake up for me."

"He is," Evie argued as she stopped screaming. "He loves me," she continued as she winced in pain.

"I do, I do," Rick whispered, his heart almost breaking as he realised from the desperation in her voice who she must be talking to. "Wake up!" he practically shouted once again, and gripped her more firmly. Holding her by her shoulders, he began to pull her limp body upright and into his arms. It made him sick to see her under the influence of that monster.

"But I love him," she whispered as she lay in Rick's arms

"I love you too," Rick whispered back, past the lump in his throat, before he began shaking her again, more firmly this time. "But wake up!"

As Evelyn snapped open her eyes she was surprised to see that the dark dungeons of Hamunaptra had transformed into her hotel bedroom. This initial relief however paled into insignificance as she realised she was could still feel tight arms wrapped around her. Now free from her shackles, she shoved the person with all her might away from her and began hitting him.

"Get off me!" she screamed, "Get off!"

"Evie!" a voice called, as the person who had been holding her slid of the bed and landed on the floor with a bump.

Surprised by the voice, Evelyn slowly peered over the edge the person had disappeared off, and sure enough it was Rick, who was sitting on the floor shaking his head and staring up at her.

"Whoops," she said as she offered him her hand.

"Whoops?" Rick repeated un-amused, as he got to his feet unassisted.

"I'm sorry," Evie apologised as she rolled onto her back and sat up. "I thought you were..." Suddenly aware of what she was about to say she stopped and looked down, ashamed.

"It's ok," Rick told her as he sat back on the edge of the bed. "You were dreaming. I was just trying to wake you."

"Oh," Evelyn replied, not looking up- or particularly listening. Gently she began to pull the cotton sheet around her in an effort to stop herself feeling so exposed.

"You were screaming," Rick continued, trying to explain and dispel the unease in the air. "And I guessed you were dreaming about... er, I mean were you dreaming about... about what happened?" he struggled to finish.

Evelyn just nodded, guilt washing through her.

"Oh," Rick responded, his throat going dry. "I mean, yeah, I guessed. That's why I tried to wake you up. I...I..." his voice cracked with emotion, "I couldn't let you go through that again."

"Why are you here, Rick?" Evie asked suddenly, looking up. She'd expected him to want nothing to do with her, and to hear him being nice was confusing.

"Why...why am I here?" The question threw Rick for a moment as he saw her unblinking eyes. "I wanted to see you," he admitted eventually, "to talk"

Now it was Evie's turned to look surprised. She hadn't expected him to want to talk.

"Okay," she said after taking a deep breath to regain her composure. "What did you want to talk about?"


	9. Questions and answers

**Chapter nine. - Questions and answers.**

"How could you?" Rick asked, diving straight in at the deep end.

Evelyn flinched inwardly; now she realised she had heard him ask that before.

"How could you?" Rick repeated. "How could you even think of keeping this from me?"

"What?" Evie blurted out before she could help herself. She had been all but tensing up, expecting to feel Rick's hand.

"Evie," Rick began softly as he leant forward. "You never have to hide anything from me; I love you and nothing's ever going to change that."

Evie lent back against her wooden headboard, her head spinning. This wasn't supposed to be happening. Where was Rick's anger? Where was his hand? Why hadn't he walked out yet?

"No, no, no..." She shook her head; this wasn't right. "You...you can't love me," she tried to explain. "I've done something bad."

"You're wrong," Rick told her immediately, outraged by her words. "Yes, something bad was done to you, but that's not your fault."

"But... but," Evie began to mumble, confused by what he was saying. "I wore that black dress, and he said-"

"He said," Rick repeated, cutting her off abruptly, his anger rising at the thought that Imhotep still had power over his beloved. "Nothing he said," he continued, "is true!"

The declaration hit a nerve in Evie.

"He told me that if you knew, you'd walk away from me," she whispered calmly, "and you did."

Rick's heart sank.

"I did," he admitted ashamedly, "and there is nothing in my entire life that I am more ashamed of, but it wasn't because of you. I'm back now however, and that _is_ because of you."

"But why?" Evelyn couldn't help but ask. "Why are you back? Is it because you're angry?" Leaning against the headboard she still couldn't drive the image of his fury from her mind, even though she felt a little steadier within her-self.

"Angry?" Rick was confused, but as he watched her face he saw a look of fright cross it that made him understand the question; she was afraid of him. "God," Rick exclaimed before he could stop himself- he really did not like that concept. "Of course I'm angry, Evie," he continued calmly. "I'm angry at Imhotep for what he did, and I'm angry at myself for not stopping him, but not at you- never," he swore.

Evie looked up cautiously.

"But I can't give you anything," she continued.

"You can," Rick replied without hesitation. Leaning forward, he cupped her chin so he could look deep into her eyes. "You can give me the most precious thing in the world- you."

Looking away sharply, Evie felt sick.

"I can't," she almost whimpered. "And why would you even want me to, when I've... when I'm somebody else's?"

"Evie," Rick sighed with sadness, "you're not his, you're you." Rick paused, but as he saw her go to disagree he pre-empted her. "No matter what he said," leaning back to give her some space, Rick paused again. "And, as to why I want you," he continued, "well, I think I might have said before, but I'm in love with you."

Evie raised her head once again slowly. Her heart ached to believe what he was saying, and she desperately wanted to trust in the words, but it was hard.

"But I'm not special anymore," she argued sharing one of greatest fears with him.

Smiling, Rick reached out to touch her.

"Of course you're special," he said, mistaking her words for lack of self-confidence.

"No," Evie gasped, as she flinched away and turned her eyes down.

Rick took the movement like a kick in the stomach; he had obviously misread the situation. Beating himself up silently, he waited for her to speak again.

"I mean I'm not... I can't..." she paused, embarrassed, unable to believe what she was about to say. "I can't be special how you would want me to be, like a wife should be for her husband."

"Oh," Rick exclaimed, embarrassed himself as he realised what she meant. "Oh, that's not important."

Evelyn's eyes went wide and she choked on her breath; she couldn't believe he would have such a cavalier attitude.

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that!" Rick hurriedly apologised, regretting his words as he witnessed Evie's reaction. "I just meant, what he did- it doesn't take anything away from you. I mean..." Rick paused to take a breath, and work out the best way to express himself. "You are special, something like... well like that, it can't be taken away. After all, what makes it special is when it is given."

As she listened to Rick struggle to explain, Evie's eyes began to swell with tears; she thought she knew what he was trying to say, no matter how hard it was to accept.

"Look," Rick continued as he saw the uncertainty in Evie's eyes. "I'm not going to lie to you- I'm not exactly a saint in that area. But when it comes to my- no scratch that- _our_ wedding night, nothing and no one else is going to matter. What will matter will be our love for each other; I promise you that's what it will be Evie. Love how it's supposed to be; mutual and consensual, and not some warped mummy's idea of it."

Evie's face crumpled as she saw the sincerity in Rick's eyes, his words repairing unknown damage.

"Oh Rick," she whispered and fell into his open arms. "I'm sorry," she began to whisper once there. "I'm so sorry."

"Evie!" Rick snapped angrily, quickly recovering from the delight of feeling her in his arms. Holding her reluctantly away from him, he continued. "Haven't you listened to a word I've said? This was not your fault- you've nothing to be sorry for."

"I know," she whispered back unconvincingly, not quite meeting his eyes. "I'm just sorry that I didn't trust in you."

Pulling her back into his arms, Rick felt himself losing his own self control. "Oh Evie," he whispered.

"It's just that..." Evie felt a compulsion to continue. "He said all these things and..." she began to cry gently "and... and...I kept calling for you, and when you didn't... didn't come I began to believe him."

"I'm sorry," Rick whispered as the first of his own tears slid down his face, and he cradled her deep into his arms. "I'm sorry I wasn't there, I'm sorry I didn't stop him, I'm sorry..."

"Ssshh," Evie soothed, and snuggled deeper in his embrace.

Evie and Rick both sat on the bed holding on to each other in silence, her tears wetting his chest as his fell into her dark hair, both of their apologies healing each other wounds.

"Evie," Rick began after some minutes had passed. "You know if I could turn back the clock and change things, I would."

After thinking for a moment Evelyn realised the past really wasn't something she wanted to revisit.

"I don't want to go back," Evelyn said, telling Rick her thoughts. "I don't want to think about it, I don't want to remember. I just want to go forward, and to get on with my life. I want to think about us." She pulled herself out of Rick's arms just a little and stared deeply into his eyes, voluntarily, for the first time all day. "Because I think I might have said before, but I'm in love with you," she mimicked his words.

A large grin spread across Rick's face, his tears long forgotten.

"You haven't actually," he admitted, "but I do like it, so feel free to repeat yourself."

Evie smiled at little herself. Licking her lips she lent forward and began, "I, Evelyn Carnahan, am in love with you, Rick O'Connell."

Rick leant forward himself, and watched as Evelyn closed her eyes, expecting a kiss.

"Does, that mean you'll marry me?" He asked gently, just moments before her lips met his.

"No," she whispered, not opening her eyes, "but I will think about it."

Although dismayed by her refusal, Rick leant in, eager to taste her sweet lips.

"Well!" a loud voice boomed around the room, causing the couple to jump apart before their lips met. Glancing around they both saw Jonathan standing in the doorway to the bedroom.

"Well," he repeated, and although he was smiling, Evie could see the telltale red rings around his eyes that they all now wore. "That's more like it. Maybe now..." Jonathan continued, as he waved the bottle he had retrieved from where it had been discarded earlier, "we can open this."


	10. Time to act

**Chapter ten. - Conscious thoughts.**

Four days later Evelyn sighed and dropped the book she was reading into her lap. She was bored. Her position by the window did nothing to improve her jaded attitude; the fact that the scene outside was ever changing just reminded her of her own confinement.

As it had happened, all her declarations to Rick as to what she wanted the future to be, were wildly optimistic. She had not been able to forget Imhotep; he inhabited every moment of her sleep, and often tried to break into her conscious thoughts.

Consequently, due to her nightmares and both Rick and, surprisingly, jonathans overprotective streaks, Evelyn had hardly left her hotel room. To be honest, she was lucky if she was allowed out of her bed.

Although sometimes grateful for the bed rest, because of great tiredness due to the disturbed nights, this was not Evelyn's idea of getting on with her life.

Sitting in the wicker chair, Evelyn began remembering the day after her revelations.

"Please," she had begged, "Rick, just let me go to the library, I want to look up-"

"No," Rick had cut her off, using his forceful voice. "You're hurt, you're tired, and you're going back to bed."

She had humoured him at first, but a couple of hours later she had tried again. Creaking her bedroom door open slowly, she had been surprised to see Rick lying on one of the daybeds located in her reception room.

"Bed!" he had shouted, without even moving. Surprised, Evelyn had frozen in the doorway. "Evie, bed," he had commanded again, sounding for all the world like a parent talking to a rebellious child.

Eventually unfreezing she had crept back into the bedroom and begun wondering what to do next, and as her fingers tapped on the book in her lap, she was still wondering.

Rick had spent every night since in her reception room, and every day within earshot of her. When he was forced from her side, Jonathan was called in to take over, what seemed to Evie like guard duty.

For Rick his reasoning for staying close was simple; he never wanted to put Evie through the experience of not having him respond to her crying for him ever again.

Several times over the last three days Evie had woken from nightmares screaming his name, and every time Rick felt his vigil become justified by the fact that he could be there to comfort her and remind her of his love.

Holding her in his arms, he had let her cry her worries away. Bit by bit she had begun to tell him more about her dreams, and about the ordeal itself; how she had felt, and exactly what had happened.

Although Rick found it hard to hear, he was pleased that she felt able to confide in him, even if it did necessitate more trips to the gym.

Evelyn's best chance to get out of her room had come today, when Rick had unexpectedly been forced to leave her in the company of Jonathan. Having thought he was not needed, Jonathan had spent the morning in the reopened bar.

He had been reluctant to cease his comfort making activities, however, when brotherly duties dictated he leave the bar, and consequently he had arrived in Evelyn's room with two large bottles of alcohol, and made himself comfortable.

After having drunk approximately half of one, he promptly fell asleep and began snoring gently. Upon hearing the familiar noise, Evelyn had crept from the bedroom were she had been pretending to be asleep. Instead of using the freedom, she now had to leave the room; she sneaked to her brother's side and 'borrowed' one of his bottles, and hid it under her bed.

Over the last few days Evelyn had seen both the men in her life turn to alcohol for solace once or twice. Seeing her own opportunity she had decided to give it a try.

Standing up, Evelyn placed her book on the chair and edged towards the door. Rick had returned just before dusk had fallen, which was some time ago now. Deciding now was the perfect time to put her plan into action, as she could hear no noise emanating from the other room, she moved towards the bed and retrieved the bottle from its hiding place.

Pausing briefly as she sat cross legged on the bed, Evelyn listened once again for any noise. Hearing none she wasted no time in unscrewing the lid of the bottle, and sniffed deeply at the opening.

The alcohol fumes took her breath away, and she had to clasp her hands across her mouth in an effort to mask the impending cough.

"Whoa," she whispered a few minuets later, taking deep breaths to calm herself. "Why would anyone..." The thought stopped dead in her head as out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of her self in the full length mirror.

Although the long black nightgown Evie was wearing was one of the plainest she owned, the image blurred before her eyes into what she had worn at Hamunaptra.

_I like your dress_, Imhotep's voice suddenly tormented her. _Your body will make a fine vessel for my love._

"Of course," Evie whispered to herself, realisation kicking in as fear gripped her as tightly as she held the glass bottle. "To forget." Quickly and without any more thought she pressed the bottle to her lips and took a deep swig.

"Alcohol," Evie could practically hear Jonathan saying, "is the best way to forget," and although she had always scoffed at him before, she was now forced to re-evaluate her opinion. That first single slug had wiped Imhotep's voice from her head so efficiently, and she was left wondering if there was something that could wipe away the physical memories that he had left her with just as efficiently.

As she wondered what could clean away the invisible trails that burnt into her skin where Imhotep's large, dirty hands had touched her, another voice entered her head.

"If I could change things, I would." It was Rick.

Suddenly she realised she didn't need to remove them completely, perhaps just replace them; if the memories were of someone else's touch, it would be easer to deal with.

Evie began blushing as she realised what she was thinking, but as a little more alcohol burnt the back of her throat, she decided it was what she wanted to do.

Slowly she slid off the bed and stood up. Her feet felt heavy but her head felt light as she stumbled towards the bedroom door, clutching the precious bottle.

When Evie had a plan she was nothing if not determined, and nothing or no one could stop her- not even herself. So when she slid the door open and began to have second thoughts, they just drove her further forward, and she strode confidently into the room.

Once fully in the front room, she froze instinctively for a second, expecting Rick to respond, but his voice never came.

Slowly she began to creep towards the couch, where as her eyes grew accustomed to the dusk she could see a large pair of boots hooked over the end. Waving the bottle in the air in an effort to keep her balance as she walked, she spoke softly.

"Rii..." she began to purr, but stopped short as she peered over the top of the sofa and realised the adventurer was asleep.

Looking down, Evie watched as shadows danced across Rick's stubbly face, and even though his hair was messed up, and she was pretty sure he had been wearing the same clothes for a good few days, she felt her love for him only grow.

"Ahh..." she couldn't help but whisper quietly as she heard him begin to snore gently.

Unlike Evie, Rick had hardly slept in the last week. It was partially voluntary, due to him wanting to be with Evie as much as possible, and partially involuntary, due to the graphic images fuelled by Evie's ordeal that plagued his quieter moments.

Now he had finally succumbed to the tiredness, his mind and body had forced him into the deepest sleep possible.

Rick's slumber didn't force Evie to abandon her plan, however, just adapt it a little. As quietly as possible she moved around the far end of the couch, were she could see his sleeping form fully. Standing there, she realised she would have to put the bottle down before moving again. Reaching out she eventually found the table and placed one hand flat on it, and with the other firmly around the neck of the bottle, she tried to get the two to meet. After a couple of near misses she eventually succeeded and managed to land the bottle on the table top in relative silence.

Relieved that that ordeal was over, she turned back to Rick and thought about her plan. A small blush crept across her ivory cheeks, and she whished she had the bottle back. Quickly she gripped the sofa and forced herself to begin, before she lost her nerve. Gently she moved on to the sofa, and with one leg either side of him she slid into Rick's lap.

Pausing for a moment as she tried to get used to her unusual seating position, she wondered what to do next. As she considered her next course of action Evelyn fidgeted to try and get more comfortable, and was extremely surprised to hear Rick groan pleasurably in his sleep.

Confused, Evelyn squirmed again, and sure enough Rick groaned again. Suddenly realising what she was doing Evelyn began blushing furiously. Even though she was embarrassed she smiled; her plan was working. Unstably she leant forward and began to undo the buttons on his shirt.


	11. Its all in the planning

**Chapter eleven. - Its all in the planning.**

In his sleep, Rick's dream had just turned on a dime from something strange about Jonathan- and a chicken on a bike- into something erotic about Evie. After groaning twice in quick succession as waves of pleasure crashed through his body, gradually Rick's guilt over thinking about Evie in such a primal way began to wake him. Reluctantly his mind came back to consciousness, and as it did so he realised something actually _was_ happening. Snapping his eyes open immediately, as he felt a cold draught across his chest, he was extremely surprised by what he saw.

"Evie!" Rick's voice almost squeaked through the night and made the woman in his lap jump; she had been so intent with the task in hand that she hadn't seen his eyes open. Her balance, precarious at best, had been completely lost when she jumped, and she landed face first against Rick's chest.

"Evie?" Rick asked again, quieter this time, as she lay still against his chest. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Evie lied as she sat back upright, and moved back into his lap.

"Nothing?" Rick repeated with his eyebrows raised, and as he felt her move in his lap he willed himself to stay calm.

"Nothing," she confirmed as she reached forward to undo the last fastened button on Rick's shirt.

"Evie," he exclaimed as he realised what she was doing, and reached to grab for her hands. Jumping in surprise Evelyn flung her hands apart as he touched her. In doing so they ripped the last button from Rick's shirt and the material slid from his chest to his sides.

Evelyn's breath died in her throat for a hundred and one reasons as she took in the sight of Rick's bare chest.

The first reason being that, although beautifully muscular, Rick's chest was covered in deep bruises and lacerations. Evelyn hadn't realised until that very point the depth of the injuries he had received. He had never complained or expressed discomfort.

The second reason was that seeing Rick's bare chest brought home the reality of her plan.

Trying to keep her balance, Evelyn leant over to grab the bottle from the table, to calm her nerves.

"Humph," Rick coughed as she moved; his throat was dry but for a completely different reason. As Evelyn squirmed back into his lap, he could feel his self-control slipping away. "Okay," he exclaimed suddenly as he pulled himself up off the sofa and into a seating position, neatly sliding Evie's pert bottom away from his groin.

"Hey," he called as his eyes adjusted further to the darkness, and he saw Evelyn swig from a bottle. Grabbing it from her lips, he was surprised to smell alcohol in it.

"Hey!" Evelyn moaned, and grabbed for the bottle childishly.

"You're drunk," Rick accused her as she fell against his side.

Evie smiled, the alcohol having re-emboldened her, so she slid her hand inside Rick's open shirt. "No," she whispered as she slid up his body, and pursed her lips next to his ear. "No I'm not."

"Whoa!" Rick breathed, jumping to his feet as her hands brushed across his ribs. "I think maybe its time someone went to bed."

Evelyn, who was now lying on the sofa, looked up and nodded with a smile. "Yes," she agreed, "you and me."

Rick smiled, amused at Evelyn's poor grammar, which further proved his point. He was sure he would never have heard her speak in such a way had she been sober. Suddenly he became aware of a small hand creeping its way up his leg. Swallowing deeply, he stepped away from the temptation of giving in to the thing he wanted most, and placed the bottle he still held on the table.

"No," he said quietly as he faced her. "You alone"

Evelyn staggered to her feet. That wasn't what she had expected. "No," she argued stumbling towards him, "together."

"No," Rick insisted once again, and moved backwards around the table. "You don't want that, you're just drunk."

Placing her hands on her hips Evelyn fixed him with a stare. "I'm certainly most not," she said, and Rick couldn't help but smile again.

"Of course you're not," he humoured her as he moved in her direction. "You're just tired, which is why I think you should go to bed."

Evelyn lunged forward, and Rick caught her in his arms. "But I...I want you," she mumbled against his chest. "Why, why don't you want me?"

"Evie," Rick tilted her head back. "I do want you..."

"Is it...is it because of him?" Evie interrupted, not having listened to Rick's answer, as she became overwhelmed with a dreadful feeling.

"Evie!" Rick admonished. He couldn't believe that she would think that of him. "Trust me," he continued, "he has nothing to do with my actions. Now, if I was sure he had nothing to do with yours..." Rick broke off as he felt Evelyn attempt to grasp for the bottle behind his back. Sighing, he reaffirmed his grip around her body and lifted her up into his arms.

"O'Connell!" Evie cried, outraged, "What on earth you think you're doing? Put down me now!"

Rick grinned as Evelyn drunkenly confused her words. "I'm taking you to bed," he told her. "Wasn't that what you wanted?"

Evie stopped slapping his arms for a minute and thought about what he had said. "Yes," she agreed, nodding enthusiastically. "Yes, to bed."

Rick strode masterfully into the large bedroom with his love in his arms and tried, for the second time this week, not to think about the sexual connotations of his actions. Gently he laid Evie on the bed and stepped back.

Reaching out quickly Evelyn grabbed his open shirt and pulled him towards her.

"And you," she said.

Rick clamped his larger hand over hers and pulled it away from his shirt. He then grabbed the bed sheet and laid it across her slender body.

"Evie," he began tenderly, "I'm not going to sleep with you- not now, not tonight."

Evelyn's eyes quickly swelled with tears. "Why?" she asked in a little voice. "Is it...is it me?"

Rick sat on the edge of the bed. "God no" he said as he reached out to stroke her face. "You're beautiful, and there is nothing I want more." He paused, unsure how to continue.

"So why not?" Evelyn asked, turning to kiss the hand that was touching her.

Rick pulled his hand away; it was difficult enough to keep his self control without her lips caressing his skin.

"Because," he started as he stood up, "one: it's not the right time, and two: when I do make love to you I want you to be able to remember it in the morning."

"When will be the right time?" Evie asked quickly, ignoring the part two.

"When you marry me," Rick answered without any hesitation.

"When will that be?" Evie continued.

"When you're ready," Rick smiled. Leaning down he kissed her forehead. "Now go to sleep."

Evelyn nodded and lowered her eyelashes long enough for Rick to turn around, then once he had she opened them again and watched him walk to the door. Just as he reached it she called out. "I am ready."

Rick turned instantly "What?" he asked cautiously.

"I said I am ready," Evelyn repeated as she sat up in the bed.

"I heard you," Rick admitted with a smile, "but how about you tell me that in the morning?"

"Riiick," Evie moaned as he turned his back. "I want to marry you."

Turning silently Rick walked back to the bed. "And I want to marry you," he said as he knelt down. "So what if..." he pulled the engagement ring from his trouser pocket, were it had lived since she had turned him down the first time, "I put this here," he placed it on the bedside cabinet, "and if you feel the same in the morning, you can put it on then." He then continued to watch as Evelyn struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Okay," she whispered eventually.

"Okay," he echoed, and watched as she fell asleep. "Goodnight," he whispered as he pulled the covers over her, and kissed her forehead again. "Mrs O'Connell." Rick then crept out of the door.

After she was sure he was gone Evelyn's eyes flew open, and she reached for the diamond ring. "Goodnight, Mr O'Connell," she whispered with a wide smile.

* * *

The next morning Rick rose early, not having slept a wink after the exciting night. Eagerly he awaited Evelyn's return to the waking world. The second her bedroom door creaked open he was filled with nerves. 

"Good morning," he called, jumping to his feet and turning to face her.

Evelyn stood perfectly still in the doorway, her tousled hair laying attractively on her shoulders, and a sleepy smile adorned her face. Slowly she raised her left hand.

"Good morning, husband," she grinned.

Without saying a word, but wearing a smile that said it all, Rick ran to her, picked her up and spun her around excitedly. "I love you," he promised once he finally put her down, and instead of reply Evelyn just kissed the man she loved deeply.

Entering the apartment door Jonathan was forced to clear his throat to announce his arrival. "Sorry," he apologised as the lovers broke apart. "I think I left something here yesterday," he explained. "Oh, there it is," Jonathan continued as he spied his bottle on the table. Crossing to it, he quickly picked it up.

"We're getting married!" Evie gushed, and ran from her lovers arms to her brother's side.

"Congratulations!" Jonathan said and kissed his sister. "Well," he continued, "I guess this calls for a celebration- at last."

"Yes," Rick agreed as Jonathan shook his hand. "I'll go get us something to drink."

"Don't bother," Jonathan told him, and waved the bottle about. "This is full!"

* * *

A week later in Cairo Evie and Rick were wed. It was an informal occasion; Rick wore his cream linen travelling suit, and a smile for so long the vicar had asked whether he was drunk. 

Evie wore a full length silk dress, which Rick had brought her to replace the nightgown he had ruined. With her eyes dark and her hair down she looked every bit the diamond Rick knew her to be.

Jonathan proudly gave his sister away with a smile that rivalled Rick's, and a hangover- from the stag night he had arranged- that far out stripped Rick's.

That night, as promised, Rick showed Evie what love really was, and she showed it right back to him. From that moment on Evelyn never allowed Imhotep's voice to enter her head ever again.

* * *

**Fin.**

* * *

A/N, 

If you want more my story titled 'Two Sides of the Same Diamond' can be read as an epilogue.

edited: 14/12/06. aww come on people, i know your still reading, thats stats are pilling up, and hey if you made it through to the end, spend a second or two and review, pretty please?


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